In recent years, there has been an explosive proliferation of data of all forms and formats related to treating unwanted vegetation. Unwanted vegetation is generally regarded as plant-based vegetation that is considered undesirable, unnecessary, and/or harmful to the area in which it is located or to other vegetation in proximity. The process of controlling unwanted vegetation involves a series of actions performed to reduce, remove, and/or prevent from re-growing said unwanted vegetation. The present invention is intended for use by farmers, agricultural producers, agricultural product suppliers, agricultural product buyers, and related consultants.
The ability to find and then combine the relevant data into a solution to control unwanted vegetation has traditionally been left to the initiative, inventiveness, know-how, and experience of the individual creating the solution. Typically, people creating solutions to vegetation control problems intuitively determine their strategies based on the results of blind internet searches, available resources, past experiences, local knowledge, and opinions. Or, in some instances, a person may hire a consultant or a supplier to assist in the development and execution of a vegetation control plan. However, these practices often result in outcomes that are less than optimal or even less than may otherwise be achievable because they fail to account for many aspects of vegetation control. These aspects include the efficient utilization of resources and available time, financial considerations of the vegetation control plan, logistics (including the organization and movement of equipment, people, and supplies), land characteristics and constraints (including possible environmental and regulatory requirements), neighboring vegetation control issues, and other factors that contribute to optimizing vegetation control and achieving the desired outcomes. In addition, there can be contractual obligations that need to be considered, as well as the wishes and needs of the landlords, landowners, buyers of an impacted crop, and in some cases the neighbors and the public at large.